


Angus Through the Looking Glass

by Dareandwriteit



Series: Angus and Wonderland [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Wonderland
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-01-16 01:22:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12332646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dareandwriteit/pseuds/Dareandwriteit
Summary: The music of wonderland may have stopped playing, but the echoes are lingering.A sequel to Angus' Adventures in Wonderland.





	1. Chapter 1

It was never easy. To send them away, into the path of the Relics that they couldn’t be permitted to understand. 

But sending them to Wonderland was more than she could tolerate. Knowing how terrible it was was, how no-one had ever had a chance of retrieving the bell before. There was no other option. The bell needed to be channeled into the rest of the light soon, before the Hunger arrived. She couldn’t protect them from it much longer.

So she was left to her office while they gave he nothing but radio silence. Checking the maps, reading the same pages over and over. Researching something she knew inside and out. Working just to feel she was doing something. Any moment she took to breathe, or turn a page, she was assailed by terrifying thoughts of what could have been.

The shrill ring of her Stone of Farspeech made her snap the nib of the pencil she was writing with. 

“Lucretia!” Avi’s voice rang through.

“Avi, if you wanted to be demoted there are better ways that being overly familiar-” Lucretia snapped.

“Call back the pods!” Avi interrupted, voice strained from desperate hyperventilating.

“Avi, if you think-” Lucretia continued, gripping the Stone so tight her knuckles began to turn write.

“Why didn’t you fucking build in a retrieval unit? How did you not do that? I’ve tried every god damn button in this fucking shitting cabinet and I can’t…” Avi cut off his own sentence with deep heaving breaths, almost retching with the effort.

“What happened?” Lucretia asked, each word pointed as she tried to resume her studying. It wasn’t the Reclaimers, their bracers hadn’t called anything.

“Angus. I can’t… He’s gone. I didn’t see him. He’s in the wilds.”

Lucretia’s felt her blood run cold.

No. No.

_No._

No-one knew. Not yet. Lucretia tried to refine Avi to his quarters, but he refused to leave the hangar. He didn’t want to miss the call to retrieve Angus. He kept a constant nervous watch on the readout of Angus’ bracer, his alcohol replaced with coffee brewed completely black.

When Angus’ bracer vanished, Avi broke. The readout of Angus’ vitals, as well as his unmoving dot of location in the middle of the Felicity Wilds, didn’t fall or change. They just… vanished. As though he had never had existed. Avi sobbed. He became horrifically nauseous. He got angry and hit things and screamed. Lucretia did not have that luxury, though she certainly had the same impulse.

Lucretia sent Avi to his quarters by force. Told him to shower and shave and pull himself together for the return of the Reclaimers.

Once he left, Lucretia allowed herself one moment. Safely encased in the soundproof booth of the cannon controls, a terrible cry which clawed at her throat and head escaped her. Then she wiped her face. She took a breath. And she watched for the signal for the Reclaimers would send to say they were coming back.

* * *

When the pod returned to the base, the slow float up to hangar felt agonising. The white circle against the dark sky, which grew closer with each second. Lucretia was alone in the hangar, afraid to know what she meet in this sphere. And yet, she was furious. How could these men who she knew as family be reckless enough to call a child down to somewhere as torturous as Wonderland? What had they become without the aid of their crew?

She steeled herself as the glass ball settled, gripping her white oak staff tightly. This was it. What would be, would be?

As soon as the door opened, Merle clambered out. She tried not to react to the missing eye, or various injuries that littered across his body. The blood that soaked through his clothes, and matted in his beard. He was alive. That was something to be happy of.

Taako was next, facing away from her. He too was showing the scars of serious injury, yet more blood dyeing his cape a grim brown colour. His posture was tense and tired, his frayed hair betraying his nervous habit of playing with his hair. He was backing out of the pod, keeping a nervous eye on-

Magnus. Magnus got up slowly, as though he was nursing a serious injury. He was bowed over, as though nursing an injury.

“Boys, I’m so glad you’re…” Lucretia began, stepping forward.

“How could you?” Magnus said, coldly. He finally got to his feet, and took very deliberate steps out of his seat. Taako held up his hands, as though that would help if Magnus was to slip and lose his balance.

“I’m sorry, I know I sent you in with very little detail-” Lucretia said, but she found her sentence cut off by a sharp gasp she had no control over.

Angus was curled up in Magnus’ arms. He looked so small in there, pale and shaking like a newborn bird. His glasses were hanging loosely from one ear, blood spattered over the glass. He was wearing a suit which Lucretia had never seen before, but by the garish colours and card suits it was clear it wasn’t Angus’. Blood slowly dripped from Magnus’ elbow, betraying Angus’ mangled leg. And cradled in splintered wooden fingers, he had the Animus Bell.

Lucretia was lost for words.

“You knew how dangerous this place was, and you sent the kid in after us? What were you thinking?!” Magnus’ voice began to raise, which caused Angus to whine in his sleep. Magnus rocked him gently and hissed at Lucretia. “If he wasn’t cute as shit right now we’d be having a really intense argument. With cuss words and everything.”

“I didn’t send him.” Lucretia said. “I would never-”

“You sure as hell sent us.” Taako said, bitterly.

“You think I would send an eleven year old into a torture dungeon?” Lucretia was taken aback.

“Again, you sent _us_ into a torture dungeon.” Taako repeatedly.

“Angus is different.” Lucretia stated. It was a fact.

“Don’t see how right now.” Merle grumbled, staring down at the floor. He sounded distant, and bitter. Lucretia tried not to take notice how his extreme teen bible was folded up and creased in places, forced haphazardly into his bag. 

Lucretia sighed.

“I know that this is a lot, and there will be time for us to discuss this, _all of this_ once you’ve handed over the Grand Relic.”

The three of them sighed begrudgingly, Taako muttering something under his breath.

Lucretia walked over to Angus, hesitating as she got closer. Angus’ breathing was steady, occasionally disturbed by murmurs and cries in his sleep. She stopped herself short of stroking his hair, instead trying to straighten his glasses. She reached for the bell in his hands, taking it by the handle.

Angus’ eyes snapped open, and he screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

“-he’s lost a lot of blood, so it would be best to set up a transfusion as much as possible.” 

Angus didn’t recognise the voice. He didn’t recognise much of anything. Everything was blurry. It was bright wherever he was. He hurt all over. He was lying down, on something hard and cold. These were the things he knew.

And underneath what he knew, there was a whisper.

_Live forever Angus..._

Where was Magnus? Why wasn’t Magnus holding him anymore? Where were the Reclaimers? He needed to get up, he needed to give them the bell…

The bell. Where was the bell?

“Where is it?!” Angus shouted, trying to sit up. Hands held him down, placed gently on his shoulders. The hands weighed heavily on him, feeling as though they were dragging him down. “You can’t take it again, you can’t!”

_Claim me again Angus, you fought so hard for me…_

Angus squinted, trying to clear his blurred vision. He reached to put his glasses on his face, only to discover they were already there. He remembered the harsh lights of Wonderland, and how they had burned under their intense glare.

His bad luck.

“Let go of me, I have to help them, I c-can’t just stay-” Angus tried to push against the hands, to sit up and look around. The pain in his leg suddenly bloomed and he shouted out a sharp noise. He took a glance down at his leg, and resisted the urge to vomit. These weren’t his clothes. These were Keat’s clothes. Where were his clothes?

_If you claim me, you can keep them alive forever…_

“Angus, do you know where you are?” The unfamiliar voice asked, distant to him.

“W-Wonderland.” Angus managed to stutter.

“Angus, you’re at the Bureau. You’re safe. Can you tell me where you’re hurt?” Angus recognised the voice as a woman and nothing more.

_I can make it so you never hurt again, Angus…_

“Who… who’s saying that?” Angus’ eyes shot around the room, unable to discern anything.

“I’m a nurse at the Bureau, Angus. My name is Erin, I’m here to help you.”

And, at the same time:

_It’s your Animus Bell, Angus._

“Give it back!” Angus shouted again, reaching the vague direction he thought the voice was coming from. The hands resting on the shoulders were finally moved away, only for Angus to be rendered still by some unseen magic. “Please!”

“Director, I know you’re my boss and everything, but if you don’t get that thing out of here, there’ll be hell to pay.” Erin said, taking a hard edge to her voice.

“I understand.” The Director’s voice was subdued. “Please keep me updated to his situation.”

_If she takes me away Angus, you’ll never find me again._

“Give me it!” Angus howled, his voice clawing from his throat with a ferocity he didn’t think he was capable of generating. “They’ll die without it!”

“No-one’s dying, kid.” Magnus’ voice was close, and it was warm.

“Not in a fuckin’ hospital room anyway.” Taako added, less warmly.

Angus writhed beneath a magical force, his body screaming from the sheer exertion of him trying to evade whatever spell was keeping him still. Against all odds, he broke through, lured towards that voice. There was an almighty crash, one punctuated by the thousand sharp _pings_ of metal doctor’s instruments hitting the floor. There were sounds of shock and surprise that broke through the noise were drowned by it.

Angus didn’t hear any of it. He heard the voice.

_Claim me, claim me, protect them, protect them, ringthebellringthebellringthebell._

His hand brushed the bell. His wooden fingers couldn’t discern the cold metal, or the carvings on its surface. He felt something indescribable shoot through his numb hands, a pure power of desire, of being wanted, of being _needed_. 

And then nothing.

The bell was not in his hands. There was no voice. There was nothing.

He was in a void, hovering off the ground with his arms outstretched, reaching for something he could no longer see. He was no longer held down, instead free to move in this pocket sized shield. He could make out vague shapes outside of it, silhouettes of people he knew better than some faces. A bulky human man with shield on his back. A dwarf with a misshapen arm. An elf with heels several inches tall and an umbrella draped over one arm. And, with her staff outstretched, an older woman in an all too familiar robe.

“Angus, I’m going to let you out as soon as there’s no risk from the thrall of the Animus Bell. The Reclaimers are safe. You are safe. We are all here to help you, just… try to remain as calm as you can. Understood?” Lucretia’s voice was muffled by the wall of the shield she had cast around him, and something about the break in her serious tone shook Angus.

He took a very, very deep breath and let out a shaky, “Y-Yes, ma’am.”

The bubble vanished. So did Lucretia. So did the silence. So did the numbness. Angus’ leg crumbled beneath him with a bloody crunch. When he came to his senses, he’d been laid back down on the examination table.

“I’m sorry, I’m s-so sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Angus babbled, reaching weakly for anything near him.

“It’s alright kiddo. It’s all alright.” Magnus voice was close, and it was genuine. That was enough.

“I can heal you. I can heal you. Let me… let me…” Angus found his words drifting, his mind unfocused and hazy. Where was the wheel? There was a wheel to spin, right? To heal them?

“You don’t have to do anything. Just kick it while we check you out.” Taako said.

“But I- But I-” Angus stuttered, trying to find his words but getting frustrated by the way they simply wouldn’t return.

“It’s just a small checkup Angus, and I promise, then you can go rest up.” Erin said, from somewhere across the room. She went to place a hand on Angus’ wrist, but he flinched at the sudden sensation.

“Merle.” Angus barked.

“Whassat?” Merle said, seemingly waking up from having drifted off in the corner.

“I want Merle to do it.” Angus said, looking down towards his feet.

“Well, that’s too bad because I can’t heal for shit right now.” Merle grumbled, before getting nudged hard by someone next to him. “Fine. Fine. I’ll give it a shot. Gimme the the chart.”

“What’s your name?” Merle read from the page.

“Angus McDonald.” Angus said, a little insecurely.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” Taako asked, with an amused lilt to his voice that Angus knew meant there could only be one answer.

“One. You always put up one sir.” Angus said, knowingly.

“How well you know me, Ango.” Taako said, with his usual drawl. “How’s about now?”

“One again.” Angus said, rolling his eyes.

There was a pause.

“Shit. I didn’t expect you to not actually be able to see. It’s the double bird by the way Angus, Taako doesn’t do reruns.” Taako tried and only narrowly failed to hide his concern.

“Where do you hurt?” Merle said, punctuated by a horrified gasp from the nurse. “What? That’s what the rest of the questions mean isn’t it?”

“M-my leg?” Angus suggested more this than he told it.

“Well no shit, dumbass. Lemme have a- ew.” Merle said. Angus felt a small twinge in leg as Merle prodded it and he winced.

“Now Angus, I’m not gonna lie. This part’s gonna suck.” Merle said, patting Angus on the chest. Angus felt more sets of hands placed on his shoulders, not holding him down but just holding him. 

Merle hadn’t been lying. It sucked. Even with his slow investigation, his sweet humming of dwarven nursery rhymes, his hesitation each time Angus moved away it hurt like hell. But the leg was cleaned and sewn up and set in a cast as quickly as possible. 

Angus kept his sight away from his leg during this, instead focusing on the fabric of his sleeve. It took a moment to draw it into focus, the neat red and black thread appearing uniform under his inspection. Wait. This wasn’t his jacket.

“Where are my clothes?” he asked.

“Keats got rid of them. Remember?” Taako said.

“Keats?” Angus said, and instinctively reached for his throat. There was a scar across there, one he’d made what felt like decades ago. He didn’t know if he wished he could feel it or if he was lucky not to. The numbness in his hands was hard to comprehend, and he could swear he still felt twinges of stiffness in his fingers. 

“I can’t feel my hands.” Angus whispered.

“I know.” Merle said gently.

“Am I supposed to?” Angus asked.

“No, Angus, not anymore.” Merle said, taking up a stethoscope from the table Erin had been working to reload.

“My teeth hurt.” Angus said.

“Probably to be expected.” Merle said, pressing the cold metal of the stethoscope to Angus’ chest. 

“I-I lost my bracer.” Angus found the words welling up in him, like the tears he wished he could will away.

“You’ll get a new one.” Merle said.

“I’m so…” Angus didn’t know what he was so.

“Don’t be.” Merle said, wrapping up the stethoscope.

Angus sat up, and he embraced whoever he could reach with his both arms.

“I’m scared.” Angus whispered. 

Whoever it was Angus was holding, they didn’t hesitate to embrace him back. They didn’t say anything, for the first time in their lives.


	3. Chapter 3

Angus looked tiny in the bed he had been given in the infirmary. His blanket had become creased and lumpy, his toes peeking out where his cast did not quite fit beneath. Angus’ hands had been tucked neatly over his chest, clicking rhythmically as he breathed in and out. He was sleeping yet again, the various salves and potions to heal him leaving him drowsy and disorientated.

Magnus was sitting beside him, staring at him helplessly. With every new breath Angus took, Magnus nodded, so subtle as though to be imperceptible. Magnus had his fingers threaded together, absently scratching at a pinky finger he had not expected to still be there. Taako had his feet up on Angus’ bed, and his hat pulled low to hide his face. His own healing had left him feeling drowsy too, but the occasional twitch of his hat as he looked up to check on Angus betrayed that he was still alert. Merle was sitting at the foot of the bed, brow furrowed as he tried to make out the print on Angus’ chart for the hundredth time. His own checkup had been a short affair, which he waved away as “obvious” while the doctor’s inspected his missing eye. 

Lucretia hovered at the door, taking in their settled positions. She seemed to hesitate, seeing this calm that had finally fallen upon. Yet she steeled herself, and cleared her throat to get their attention.

“Come with me, please.” Lucretia said, gesturing out of the room.

The three looked to each other. Taako and Merle headed to door silently before realising they were a party member short. They looked back at Magnus, whose eyes were still trained on Angus.

“Magnus?” Lucretia asked softly.

Magnus took a deep breath, and wiped at his face with heavy hands. Stretching out his stiff arms, Magnus stood ever slowing. There was a quick glance to the three by the door, silently asking for a moment. Magnus leaned down to press a kiss onto Angus’ forehead, whispering something reassuring as the boy grumbled at the feeling of Magnus’ stubble scratching him. Magnus stood gazing down at Angus for another moment, before finally leaving the room with them.

They piled into Lucretia's office, where three chairs had already been set out for them. A pot of tea was set on the desk, a trail of steam twisting around it. The room smelled sweet, and looked tidy. Lucretia had even placed cushions on her typically uncomfortable seats. She’d clearly done a lot of preparation.

She sat down in her usual place behind her desk.

“There’s a lot for us to discuss, and since you’ve all been given a clean bill of health, I thought it’d be best-”

“Can we make this quick? We got the thing, just give us out bonuses and let us get out of here.” Merle grumbled, not yet taking his seat.

“This is about a lot more than your bonus.” Lucretia said.

“Is it life or death?” Taako began. “Because we’ve got better-” 

“It is.” Lucretia interrupted, gesturing to their seats once again.

The three took their seats. They glanced at each other, equal parts nervous and awkward.

“I can’t say how much your retrieval of the Animus Bell has done for the world. You will, of course, be properly compensated for your sacrifices in Wonderland. Your usual fee will be added to quite-”

There was a knock at the door, which Lucretia was visually perturbed by. 

“Enter.” 

Avi ducked his head around the door. He looked terrible, even by Avi’s standards. Dark grey bags hung beneath his bloodshot eyes, betraying several hours of heavy crying without any sleep. Avi’s steady posture and tense tone betrayed he was worryingly sober.

“Excuse me, Director. I just wanted to ask-”

“Angus’ punishment will be worked out soon enough, Avi. I have other pressing business right now.” Lucretia said bluntly, shooting Avi a look that was as close to the words ‘fuck off’ as possible. Avi graciously nodded, and ducked out the door again.

“I’m sorry, did you say punishment?” Taako asked. “Did you really just fucking say the kid needs to be punished?”

Lucretia sighed. “Taako, he went against direct orders, stole a pod, risked your mission as well as the safety of the relic. Something needs to be done.”

“I don’t know, I think losing both hands and his fucking leg is punishment enough.” Taako snapped, leaning forward in his chair.

“Angus needs to understand that self-sacrifice is not a solution to all things, Taako. He still has his leg, and the resident healers say he’s on the path to full recovery.” Lucretia said.

“It was my fucking injury. I know how much it god damn sucked, and my dude is _not_ going to make a recovery any time soon.” Taako poked a finger at he was aiming a gun.

There was a pause. “What do you mean it was your injury?”

“It was mine. Cha boy Taako had a fucking drier dropped on him and Ango decided to take the hit.”

“He… took your sacrifices?” Lucretia paled at the thought.

“And then some.” Merle muttered under his breath.

“How many?” Her voice became hushed, as though they were sharing something secret.

“One. Five. A million. Who gives a shit. He’s eleven, you think any number isn’t enough?” Taako said, flippantly.

“Taako-”

“Tell me a number.” Taako’s voice was sharp.

“I wasn’t suggesting-” Lucretia’s voice seemed unsteady.

“A number!” Taako shouted over her.

“Don’t.” Magnus said.

His voice was coarse like a fistful of sand.

“Mags, you can’t seriously think that-” Taako turned to Magnus, who wouldn’t look up from hands.

“Don’t. Don’t talk about him like that.” Magnus said. “It’s… it’s not our decision.”

“And it’s hers?” 

“He did this for us Taako. Not to stop the relic, or to solve a mystery. He nearly died for us, he can’t do this again. We’ve gotta stop him-”

“He’s got that fucked up leg, he’s not exactly going anywhere.” Merle said, in his own terrible way of trying to lighten the mood.

“Exactly, what’s your plan for fixing the kid up?” Taako snapped, his arms crossed.

“We have a specialist coming in. A healer who worked with many people who escaped Wonderland. It’s not for you to worry about now, there’s larger things at work.” Lucretia said, looking down at their tea. Urging them to drink without words.

All three of them had their cups to their lips when all the stones of farspeech in the room lit up at once.

-

It was a blur. Angus knew only two things. He knew he was scared. He knew he needed to stop the thing that was scaring him.

He was distantly aware of people shouting and grabbing at him. Distantly aware that what he was doing was wrong somehow, that it was upsetting people. But the sound needed to stop because it was dangerous, why didn’t these people understand that? 

He couldn’t feel his hands, so he couldn’t tell how much he was doing. He was in a rhythm of beating away at this dangerous thing, smashing it against the floor over and over again. Why wouldn’t it stop? What even was this? Was he… hurting it? 

He hoped he was.

And then-

The ringing - that’s what the sound was, a bell ringing - stopped as a sensible shoe stomped hard on the item in Angus’ hand. It shattered into pieces, but Angus was able to tell from the cogs that it had been something mechanical.

The owner of this shoe stood up tall, and shouted out to the ward in a show of barely contained anger. “No bells in here, understand?! No clocks, no charms, no metal objects that might create a ringing sound. No exceptions.”

Angus looked up at them, squinting as he tried to make out any details about them. They were wearing a medical garb, all rubbery and green. They were wearing gloves and had their hair tied up short.

“Do I… know you…?” Angus whispered.

“Not yet, young man. My name is Nurse Robin. I’ll be looking after you Angus.” She said, offering to help Angus up.

Angus didn’t want to. She took his wrist anyway.

Her grip was cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot this fic existed too! I'm just getting this chapter out so I can back into trying to finish projects.
> 
> The boys really should have drunk Lucretia's tea. It was made from some very special water...


End file.
